Snowy Morning, Sunny Afternoon, and Sunset on the South Beach of Iceland

Droving South Icland - Videos and Maps

Gwynn rented a Ford Escape 4x4. Charlie did the driving. We got up fairly early and headed for the famous "Golden Circle" of tourist must do's in Iceland. That includes the National Park, the Geysir Area and the Gullfoss (Golden Falls) Waterfall.  

Here is a video of the big Strokkur Geyser:

Geysir Area in Iceland with Strokkur Geyser

Mom and Charlie describing the Geyser area and their take on geothermal energy:

My take:

Here is a map of our journey yesterday:

It snowed

The Icelandic Horse

Today we took advantage of the sunny weather in Reykjavik, Iceland and rode the gorgeous, cuddly, Icelandic Horses. One of the many differences between these adorable horses and other horses is their extra gaits; the one we used today and our guide was VERY proud of is the tölt.  

The tolt gait is pretty cool. Click that last hyperlink to see a short fun video of it. 

As winter arrives, the fur will get furrier,
so these horses will look like teddy bears.

My horse named, Fjölnir.

Still in the corral!

 Fjölnir and me by the iron rich hills.

Charlie and I

Charlie and her pretty little Icelandic Horse, Káinn.
Pronounced (Cow-in).

Reykjavik, Iceland- Day One

We landed in Iceland. I got some fake looking money called Krona at the ATMS which was fun. Then, I took my money and bought smoked salmon and boiled eggs to go on my open faced sandwich, all before 8am at the airport.

We made it to our awesome apartment in time for showers and naps. Tonight we explored our neighborhood and bought groceries for our kitchen. We've got wi-fi, TV, full kitchen, big bathtub and three twin beds. Basic needs met. Tomorrow we are doing more city exploring (staying close to home base) since the weather is supposed to be stormy.

Seattle in 6

Today is the first day of my International Trip to Iceland. We had a 6 hour layover on Seattle. For 2.75 you can ride the light rail to the famous public market. So, we did, and it was perfect.

Original Starbucks

More Starbucks

Shipping Container Living on the Cheap

This lady is inspiring.

Summer Yurt Life? I might need some land.

Rainy Day Livestock

Pig and Chickens hiding from the rain.

Beans and Guilty Internet time

Today I've already applied for a passport and set up a crock pot of pinto beans. Why mention these early accomplishments, you ask? Finally, I can surf the internet all day without guilt!

Beach AND Campsite Video

My mom's besties joined us for our camping/beach adventures in Malibu. Such a good time!

Short Video of Northern California Trippin'

Sycamore Cove Beach in Malibu, CA

Disney Days Video

The Month of Road Trip - One of the San Francisco Days - Recap

GiGi flew into San Francisco after I had been there a week or so. Brooke and I had already spent a day in the city, however we LOVE it there, so we returned with GiGi and later went back with Scout too so we could all ride the trolly. My mom (and my girls) had never ridden the trolly so that was a lot of fun.

Aquatic Park in San Francisco

GiGi & Brooke and Alcatraz in the background

Wharf waiting for the trolly. You can barely see the GG Bridge in the background.

Hanging of the moving trolley, check.

Three generations of beach lovers.

You can start here to simply walk across the bridge. We didn't do it this day, but maybe next time.

Black and Yellow Argiope Spider aka Texas Garden Spider

I found this spider in my backyard today. I took this picture. Then, I added the video below from youtube.

3K miles and counting

On the road home. Leaving AZ....next stop Alpine, TX.

SoCal Style Camping

My mom's besties came to camp (and to rescue us from our bare bones "cold camp" set up). They made Pt. Mugu State Park experience - stellar! Our camp was about 30 yards from showers and bathrooms, and 100 yards to the waves. Malibu, CA and I are still in love after all these years.

Brooke, Jacob and Scout at Sycamore Camp. Can you tell how much the girls enjoyed their new friend?

Jacob's mom cooked some amazing camp food. Here I am posing with the fresh organic local garlic which was sautéed with onion and mushrooms to play with pasta and grouper. Thank goodness these friends showed up!

Scout took time to ponder the early evening.

The whole camp crew: from left Katrina, Scout, Gwynn, Me, Brooke, and Gretchen. 

Here is how I packed the car up yesterday after four days of beachin' and campin'. Next stop: Anaheim....